Secret Santa
by Alice Pink
Summary: It's Christmas time and Marinette's class has decided to do Secret Santas. Marinette is both excited and worried about her Secret Santa while Adrien is happy with the person he got, but is having trouble finding the perfect gift.
1. Chapter 1

It was December 22nd and all of Paris was getting ready for the holidays. The city was covered in a thin layer of snow and it was cloudy outside, but luckily Marinette remembered to dress warmer. Even though it was cold, Marinette was happy. She loved the snow and was looking forward to the holidays.

"Okay class." Ms. Bustier announced. "I'm going to stop the lesson early so we can talk about the holidays."

Everyone quickly packed away their textbooks, happy to hear more about the season.

"So class, does anyone have any ideas of what we should do to celebrate?"

"Oh." Alix shouted, raising her hand.

"Yes, Alix."

"We should go ice skating." Alix suggested. "I'm the best ice skater here and I would love to show everyone my skills."

"You couldn't be better than me." Kim challenged.

"Is that a challenge?" Alix asked, walking over to Kim and slamming her hand on the desk.

"Yes." Kim grinned.

"You're on!"

Everyone started to take sides and cheer for them and their competition.

"Okay, okay." Ms. Bustier said, calming the class down. "Does anyone else have an idea?"

"I have one." Alya announced, shooting her hand up.

"What do you have in mind, Alya?" Ms. Bustier asked, leaning back on her desk.

"We should do a Secret Santa thing." Alya smiled. "You know . . . we each draw a name out of a hat or bag and we get that person a gift without telling them who we are."

Everyone smiled at the idea and started to murmur.

"That's a great idea, Alya." Ms. Bustier said. "Is everyone okay with a Secret Santa?"

Everyone continued to murmur, but nodded their heads.

"Okay than it's settled. We'll do a Secret Santa."

"Ms. Bustier!" Chloe shouted, raising her hand. "My daddy told me to tell everyone that we're having a Christmas party at our hotel on Christmas Eve. And unfortunately everyone here is invited."

"Thank you Chloe." Ms. Bustier said, turning back to the class. "How about you guys give your Secret Santa their present before the party and then at the party, you'll reveal your Secret Santa identity?"

"Remember. You don't have to come." Chloe remarked. "You can always stay home and do something else."

Like usual, everyone just shrugged their shoulders and nodded.

"Then it's settled." Ms. Bustier said, sitting down at her desk.

Ms. Bustier started writing everyone's names down on small pieces of paper and placed them all in a brown bag.

"Okay, Alya." Ms. Bustier called. "Since it was your idea, you get to pick first."

Alya jumped up from her seat and ran up to Ms. Bustier's desk. She closed her eyes and reached inside the bag. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and looked down to read it. She ran back to her seat as Ms. Bustier told Chloe to come up and pick a name.

"So who'd you get?" Marinette whispered to Alya.

"You know it's SECRET Santa." Alya said, giving Marinette a look. "But I'll tell you anyway since I didn't get you." Alya smiled. "I got Alix." She whispered.

"Is that good?"

"I was hoping for Nino, but I think I have the perfect gift in mind for Alix. I'm just glad that the whole class is doing a Secret Santa thing. Me and my family always do one every year and even if we aren't happy with who we get, we always have fun. And by the end everyone's glad with who they got."

"That's so cool. If I had any siblings, I would try this with them." Marinette said, sliding back in her seat. "So what are you getting her?"

"Not telling. No more spoilers." Alya leaned back and crossed her arms, smiling. "Now go pick you Secret Santa." She said, pointing behind Marinette.

Marinette turned around to see Ms. Bustier waving for her to come up. Marinette got up from her seat and ran up to the front of the room. She turned away and ripped a piece of paper out of the bag. She unfolded it and stared down at the name. Marinette froze at the sight of it.

There written on the paper was Adrien Agreste. A thousand thoughts ran through her head as she stared at it.

'What if I ruin Adrien's Christmas?' Marinette thought, beginning to panic. 'What if he hates the gift I'll give him?! What if he'll hate me and never speak to me again or even bear to look at me?!'

"Um . . . Marinette?" Ms. Bustier said, waking Marinette from her thoughts. "Is everything okay?"

"Yep." Marinette responded. "Yep! Everything's fine." She scrambled back to her seat and face palmed into her hand.

Ms. Bustier was confused by Marinette, but ignored it and called Ivan up to her desk.

"So who did you get?" Alya asked.

Marinette kept her face in her palm and held the small piece of paper that was in her other hand out to Alya. Alya took the paper and after reading it, she giggled. She placed the paper back in Marinette's hand as Marinette lifted her head up.

Just as everyone finished picking their Secret Santa, the bell rang for everyone to leave. Alya pulled Marinette aside as everyone was leaving the room.

"Marinette." Alya grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her back. "Girl . . . I don't know why you're freaking out about this. This is your chance to tell Adrien how you feel."

"But I could mess up, Alya!" Marinette freaked. "I could ruin everything between me and Adrien and he'll hate me!"

"No you won't. You're overreacting." Alya laughed. "Adrien will never hate you. He's not like that . . . but . . . you'll never know how he really feels about you until you go for it." She said, patting her friend's shoulder before she left the classroom.

Marinette was left standing there thinking for a moment before she too left.

* * *

Marinette tossed her purse onto her chaise and collapsed right next to it with a loud groan. Tikki quickly zoomed out.

"Hey!" She shouted, flying above Marinette.

"Sorry, Tikki." Marinette grumbled, lifting her head up. "I'm just . . . super stressed out and worried about this Secret Santa thing."

"Well don't be. Everything will be fine."

"I know. Alya told me." Marinette sighed, flipping over to face her kwami. "I know Adrien won't hate me and stop talking to me, but my big problem is . . . what do I get him?"

"You always like making people stuff." Tikki announced.

"Of course I do and I do want to make him something, but I don't have any ideas."

"How about something that he can wear?"

"Well . . . I wanted to make him a scarf, but I already tried that once before."

"Try again." Tikki preached, flying in front of her face. "He didn't know about the first time and now you can make an even better one that he'll love! And this time, he'll know who it's from."

"You're right, Tikki." Marinette agreed with a smile. "I should make him another one that's ten times better than the first and . . . he'll know it's from me."

Marinette jumped up from her chaise and hopped into her desk chair. She swiveled over to her sewing machine and gathered her materials.

"I need to start designing right away, Tikki. I have two days to complete his scarf."

"You'll be fine, Marinette. Two days if just enough time." Tikki floated over Marinette's shoulder and watching her sketch designs in her book.

"I know, Tikki. All I need is the fabric and I'll get that later when I'm done perfecting the design."

Marinette smiled at the though of everything. The perfect idea popped into her head and she knew exactly what to make.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien sat on the couch in his room with his hand under his chin as he looked up at the ceiling. He was thinking about his Secret Santa. He had no idea what to get them.

"What are you doing?" Plagg asked, waving his hand in front of Adrien's face.

Adrien was brought out of his thoughts by Plagg's voice.

"I'm just thinking of what to get my Secret Santa, Plagg."

"I thought you were the Secret Santa."

"I am. The receiver and the giver are both called a Secret Santa."

"That's confusing. Why would anyone come up with something where everyone is called the exact same thing? It just doesn't make sense."

"I have no idea." Adrien stated, leaning back. "I just . . . don't know what to do about my Secret Santa." He sighed. "I'm stumped. I have no idea what to get her."

"Why don't you just ask her what she wants?" Plagg said, taking a bite of a piece of Camembert.

"I can't just ask her. It's called a SECRET Santa." Adrien said, putting his face in his hands.

"Then find something in a store that looks nice and buy it for her." Plagg suggested, taking another bite.

"No, Plagg." Adrien said, annoyed. "I need to get her something meaningful that she'll like." Adrien lifted his head and smiled. "Something big . . . something . . . she won't forget."

"All I like is cheese, sleep, and shiny things." Plagg responded.

"I know that I'm friends with her, but . . . I have no idea what she likes." Adrien's smile faded.

"I still think you should ask her." Plagg swallowed the rest of his Camembert and laid down on a pillow.

"Maybe I can." Adrien's smile returned as he stood up. "Plagg! Claws Out!"

Plagg held onto the pillow that he was laying on, but was still sucked away. "No! Not now. I'm tired." Plagg whined as he zoomed into the ring.

* * *

Chat Noir stood on a nearby building, watching Marinette from afar. She was sitting up on her balcony in a lawn chair. She was wearing earmuffs and was wrapped up in a thick, warm blanket. She held her sketchbook in her lap and she looked up every other minute to look at the snow covered Paris. Chat Noir debated going any further, thinking whether it was a good idea or not to go over and talk to her.

'What do I say?' He thought. 'I can't reveal who I am or anything about the Secret Santa thing. Should I even being doing this? Would it be weird for one of Paris's heroes to visit a civilian's home to talk?'

Chat Noir shook away the negative thoughts.

'No. I need to talk to her. I'm lost and she's the only one who can help me.'

Chat leaped from the building and landed on the railing of Marinette's balcony.

"Huh." Marinette gasped at the sight of Chat Noir. "Chat Noir, what are you doing here?"

"What? A Chat can't visit his princess?"

Marinette rolled her eyes at him before looking back down at her sketchbook. "So what are you doing here?"

"I was just wandering around Paris and saw you sitting here. I thought I'd say hi."

"Why are you wandering around Paris? It's getting dark, cold, and there's snow everywhere."

"I could ask you the same question." Chat said, crossing his arms.

"I'm out here designing. I'm designing something for Christmas and what better way to get inspiration than a beautiful, snowy city."

"But Marinette, it's getting dark, cold, and there's snow everywhere." Chat mimicked her voice.

Marinette looked up from her sketchbook and glared at Chat Noir. "I'm wearing warm clothes and I have a nice, cozy blanket. I'm fine. And it stopped snowing." She added. "Wait!" She jerked her head up. "How do you know my name?!" She questioned, tilting her head, looking at him suspicious.

"U-Uh." Chat stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I uh . . . I've heard of . . . you."

"How?" Marinette put her hand under her chin as she listened.

"Your . . . parents . . . have like the best bakery in all of Paris. Of course I've heard about the daughter of the famous bakers."

'That's believable, right?' He thought to himself.

"O-Okay." Marinette shook her head and looked down at her sketchbook.

She closed up her book and wrapped her blanket tighter around her.

"So what are you designing?" Chat asked, hopping off of the railing. He walked over to her and sat in the other lawn chair.

"I can't tell you. It's a present for a Secret Santa thing at my school, so it has to stay a secret."

"Even from me?"

"Yeah. Even from you."

"Okay . . . " He paused and thought of how he could get to know her and what she likes. "Speaking of presents . . . " He smiled. "I'm getting one of my friends a present, but . . . I'm not sure what to get her."

"Who, Ladybug?"

"No . . . just . . . one of my other friends."

"Oh. What's she like?"

"She's uh . . . nice." Chat scrunched his face up as he tried to think. "And she's uh . . . creative . . . and . . . friend-ly." He managed.

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Seems like you don't really know her."

Chat's eyes stood wide open with no reaction. "Yeah." He said, looking down. "I don't really know her that much."

"Then maybe this is your chance to get to know her." Marinette smiled.

"Wait, what?" Chat Noir asked as he began to sweat.

"You said you were getting her a present." Marinette clarified.

"Oh . . . yeah u-uh . . . that's what I thought you meant." Chat wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You should get her a meaningful present." Marinette continued. "One that she'll always remember and that will be a connection between the two of you. But first you need an idea of what to get her." Marinette stood up from her chair and collected her huge blanket. "Let's continue talking in my room. It's getting darker and colder out here by the minute."

Chat nodded his head and followed her in through the trap door. Marinette set her earmuffs and blanket down on her bed. Her and Chat Noir walked down the stairs to the lower level. Chat looked around her room for ideas, trying to hide his eyes from Marinette, so she wouldn't think he was nosey and creepy.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Marinette asked to break the silence.

"Uh . . . sure." Chat answered as he watched her leave through her trap door.

"Okay." He mumbled. "This is my chance to figure out what Marinette likes."

He walked around her room, observing everything.

"She definitely likes pink." He noted.

He moved over to her desk and looked at the scattered materials on it.

"She likes fashion and sewing stuff . . . "

He looked over at the computer that was on her desk. 'I can't look at through her computer.' He thought. 'That's too far, right?' He stood there, staring at the screen.

Marinette walked back into her room with two mugs filled with hot chocolate. She saw Chat Noir at her computer and ran over.

"Hey!" She shouted. "What do you think you're doing?" She set the mugs down on her desk and stood in front of Chat Noir, crossing her arms. "No snooping."

"I-I wasn't snooping." Chat turned away from making eye contact with her and scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh huh." Marinette rolled her eyes and pushed him back, away from her desk. "You know there's this thing called privacy."

"Sorry." He apologized, putting his hands up in defeat.

"Now no more snooping . . . and remember that when you're with this girl that you're getting a present for, don't snoop through her stuff. She won't be very happy."

'It's too late for that.' He laughed in his head.

"I'll try my best."

"Just . . . drink your hot chocolate." Marinette smiled, handing him a mug.

"Thanks." He blushed.

Marinette sat down in her swivel chair as Chat Noir sat down on her chaise. Marinette scooted her chair over to Chat Noir.

"So tell me more about this girl you're getting a present for."

"Well she's uh . . . very nice."

"You already told me that she was nice." Marinette chuckled. "And since you barely know her, tell me what you already know about her personality and her interests."

"Well . . . to be honest . . . she's a lot like you." He grinned.

"Oh." Marinette said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Well if she's anything like me then she'll like anything that shows you took time and effort to get it. I would be happy if someone baked me cookies or even . . . wrote me a poem. As long as they show that they care." She smiled at her thoughts as she set her mug down on her desk.

"Thanks for the advice. I might just have to write her a poem or bake some cookies."

"Chat." Marinette breathed, putting both of her hands on his shoulders. "I think you should get to know this girl first." She said, shaking him. "That's the only way you'll know exactly what to get her."

"Fine. I'll get to know her better." Chat crossed his arms, leaning back.

"Good . . . now go."

"Why?" He questioned, standing up.

"Because it's getting late and you have some girl problems to deal with." Marinette stated, pushing Chat Noir towards her steps.

"Okay. I guess I better get going. Thanks for the hot chocolate."

"You're welcome."

Chat Noir walked up the steps and gave Marinette a two finger salute before exiting through the trap door.

Marinette started to laugh before Tikki came out of her hiding spot.

"What's so funny?" Tikki asked.

"I can't believe Chat Noir came to me for advice."

"I guess he trusts you." Tikki smiled.

"He trusts me to help him with his girl problems." She laughed. "I don't mind giving him advice, but I do mind him snooping through my room."

"Yeah. That was creepy." Tikki agreed.

* * *

"That was so weird, Plagg." Adrien announced, sitting on his bed. "Marinette didn't stutter or even babble when I was talking to her as Chat Noir."

"Why are you focusing on that?" Plagg complained. "You got to know her better and got advice from her about her. You should be celebrating."

"I know, Plagg, but she just seemed so . . . different . . . when I talked to her as Chat."

"Oh well. She likes Chat Noir better. Now give me some Camembert."

"Fine." Adrien accepted, tossing Plagg a piece of cheese. "Now I'm on a mission, Plagg." Adrien stood up from his bed and made a heroic pose. "I'm going to get to know Marinette better."

"I thought you just did."

"I did . . . but as Chat Noir. I need to get to know her better as Adrien. I have an idea of what to get her in mind, but it will be a thousand times better when I get to know her."

"Ugh. this is too much work." Plagg groaned.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Ah! My first Christmas fanfiction. I'm so happy. I was so excited when my thoughts for this came to me. I got the idea when I was thinking about the time my Girl Scout troop did Secret Santas and me and my friend got each other. Secret Santas are so much fun and I thought it would be perfect to write a miraculous fanfiction for it. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think.**

 **-Alice Pink**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Next Day:**

After Marinette picked out fabric yesterday, she quickly finished sewing her scarf for Adrien. It was a thick green and red plaid scarf with black and white lines. She had put it in a small brown box and it was now sitting on top of her desk.

Marinette had slept in til 8:30 in the morning. The only thing that she had planned for the weekend was last minute Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, she had to help out downstairs in the bakery. It was nearing Christmas, the most busy time of year for buying cookies and festive desserts.

Marinette stood at the front counter down in the bakery, giving people their ordered sweets.

"Thank you again, Marinette, for helping out." Sabine smiled at her daughter. "Me and your father really appreciate all that you've done for the bakery."

"You're welcome mama." Marinette smiled back, handing a man a Christmas themed bag filled with gingerbread men.

Sabine left to the kitchen as Marinette turned to the next customer. A younger woman, about 18 or 19, with light brown hair stepped towards the counter. She wore a fluffy white scarf and a black Aztec coat with her hair pulled back with a snowflake headband.

"Hello." Marinette welcomed, setting a snowflake decorated box on top of the counter. "Are you . . . Elizabeth Amos?" She asked, reading the name written across the top.

"Yes. That's me." She answered, wrapping her jacket tighter around herself as she shivered. "It's really cold outside." She breathed.

"Yeah. It is getting pretty cold." Marinette agreed. "Is there anything else you'd like with your peppermint cookies?"

"Um . . . do you have anymore . . . cinnamon coffee cake?"

"Uh . . . " Marinette crouched down to look through the shelves. "Yes, we do. Here you go." She said, handing the woman a box with coffee cake. "You'll love this cake. It was just baked this morning and we have a special cinnamon topping."

"Thank you." She said, handing Marinette the rest of the money. "But this isn't for me. I'm surprising my boyfriend with it later. He loves coffee cake and I can't wait til Christmas to give it to him."

"Then I'm sure he'll love it." Marinette assured.

"I hope so." The woman smiled before waving goodbye to Marinette as she left the bakery.

Alya soon entered the bakery after the woman left.

"Hey Alya." Marinette said, stepping out from behind the counter.

"Are you ready to go shopping, yet?"

"Yeah. My mom told me that I only had to work until 11:00." Marinette answered, looking at a clock on the wall. "My mom gave me thirty five euros to finish my Christmas shopping and I already told her that I'd be at the mall when I was done here."

"Good. Then Let's go." Marinette slipped on a jacket and followed Alya outside. "Oh. Bye the way, Marinette . . . I invited Adrien and Nino to come with us."

"What?!" Marinette shouted, turning to her friend. "Alya! How will I be able to focus on shopping for a good Christmas present when Adrien's there? I'll be too distracted to concentrate."

"Oh, you'll be fine." Alya smiled, putting a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You're taking me with you, so . . . I'm gonna have a little fun with this. It should be funny to watch you stutter even more around him." Alya laughed.

"But-"

"Hey guys." Adrien greeted, approaching them with Nino at his side.

"Ah!" Marinette jumped at the sound of his voice. She turned around holding all of her emotions inside, barely breathing. She stood frozen like that until Alya hit her arm, making her exhale and begin to breathe again. "Hi." She squeaked.

Adrien moved to Marinette's side as Nino stood next to Alya.

"So Marinette." Adrien began. "Last minute Christmas shopping?"

"U-Uh . . . y-yeah." She said as the four of them starting walking to the mall. "I-I been busy bakery. I mean! Bakery busy work. No. I mean . . . I've been . . . busy at the bakery." She finished.

'Maybe I should look at the ground.' She thought. 'Maybe if I avoid his mesmerizing eyes, I could actually talk to him.'

Marinette stared down at the sidewalk, catching Adrien's attention. Adrien looked at her, confused, not knowing why she was hiding her face. But he ignored it.

"Yeah. The bakery should be really popular around the holidays." Adrien agreed. "I need to visit the bakery sometime and buy some of your amazing gingerbread cookies."

"Oh. You like the gingerbread cookies?" Marinette smiled, realizing she didn't stutter. "Maybe I could bring some to Chloe's Christmas Eve party."

'Yay! This is working.' Marinette thought. 'I just have to keep my eyes on the sidewalk and my feet.'

"That'd be great." Adrien smiled, placing his hand on Marinette's shoulder, understanding what she was saying for once.

Marinette flinched at his touch, but managed to keep all of her emotions and excitement inside. Her smile grew as she continued to walk next to him.

As they walked, Alya pulled Nino closer for a moment.

"Hey, Nino." Alya whispered. "When we get to the mall, let's leave them."

"Why?" Nino asked, confused.

"So that Marinette and Adrien can become closer." Alya grinned.

"Still on the mission of getting them together?"

"Yep and this is a good start."

"So Marinette." Adrien began again. "What kind of last minute Christmas shopping do you have to do?"

"I only need to find something for my mom. Otherwise, I'm done shopping for the holidays." Marinette answered.

They finally reached the mall, forcing Marinette to look up from the ground. They walked inside and found a small store decorated with Christmas stuff on the outside.

Alya and Nino giggled as they ventured off to another aisle, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone. Marinette searched through the middle aisle with Adrien behind her. She found an assortment of candles and picked up a small red one that was in the shape of a hamster, making her smile.

"Is that a hamster?" Adrien laughed, walking over to her. "That's a weird candle."

"Yeah and I love hamsters. I used to have a small brown hamster when I was little." Marinette said, keeping her eyes on the candle. "But I'm looking for a present for my mom." She said, setting it down next to a reindeer candle.

"I'm sure if you have some money left after getting your mom something, you could buy yourself something nice."

"Maybe . . . but if I can, I'm not buying a zoo of candles." Marinette laughed.

"What would you buy then?"

"I don't know. Probably something small." She answered, moving past Adrien, keeping her eyes forward.

Marinette looked around the aisles until she approached a glass countertop. Underneath the glass was an assortment of jewelry. A smile rose on her face as she eyed a small, silver, heart locket.

"Look." She said, tapping the glass. "That's the perfect gift for my mum."

Marinette stared at the locket, deep in thought. Adrien watched her before realizing that her face was reflecting off of the glass. He couldn't help, but grin as he finally could see Marinette's smiling face. He couldn't remove his gaze from the reflecting glass that shon her face.

"There's even a matching one." Adrien said, pointing at the second one.

"There is?" Marinette asked, leaning forward to see it. Marinette gave out a sad sigh. "But . . . " She looked down at the money in her hands. "I . . . don't have enough for both." She looked up from her hands and back at the locket. "I'll just get the one and spend the rest of my money on a few charms." Marinette said, turning to a rack beside her that held charms. She picked out three charms and walked over to the checkout counter.

Adrien watched her sad face hide. He looked back down at the other locket, smiling. He had an idea.

"That'll be thirty five euros." The cashier announced, putting the locket and charms in a bag.

"Here." Marinette handed her the money and turned away from the counter.

The cashier quickly looked to her computer with wide eyes.

"Hold on a minute Miss." The woman called. "I just got an alert on my computer that there's another akuma attack. You may want to stay in here for a little while, or if you're in a hurry, please be careful." She warned.

"Thank you. We will." Adrien thanked, turning to Marinette. "We should probably hide somewhere." He said, looking around.

"Y-Yeah . . . uh . . . " Marinette tried to come up with an excuse to leave. "I uh . . . gotta . . . go . . . to the bathroom." She awkwardly said, pointing towards the back of the store.

"Yeah and I'll . . . go find Alya and Nino." Adrien stated, walking in the opposite direction.

Marinette darted for the bathroom and let Tikki out of her purse.

"Tikki! Spots On!" She shouted.

Ladybug left the bathroom and rushed out of the mall. She looked around to see an akumatized woman wandering the streets of Paris. She had brown hair pulled back with a head band and two horns on top of her head. She wore a black and brown dress that resembled a Santa suit with black boots.

Ladybug watched from a corner as the villain attacked. The villain smiled at her victims as her headband glowed, transferring power down her arms and to her hands. Her eyes glowed as she lifted her hands to blast stores. She blasted shops, breaking all of their presents, and blasted citizens, trapping each in a cage.

Ladybug had had enough standing by and watching. She ran out from her corner and called to the monster standing in the street.

"Hey! Over here!" She called, waving her hands in the air.

"Ladybug?!" The villain scowled. "You will never defeat me or save these people!"

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" Ladybug asked, walking forward. "These people don't deserve your torture."

"I am Krampus Cupid. I am destroying all these gifts in stores, saving people from heart break. I will not let people deal with the wrong presents and the wrong reactions. I bought my boyfriend his favorite desserts and an I said love you and all I get is a thank you. No one should feel like that?!" She shouted in anger.

"But you don't have to do this!" Ladybug reasoned.

"Yes I do!" KC screamed, blasting a beam at Ladybug, trying to trap her in a cage.

Ladybug dodged out of the way, landing on her feet.

"You can forget about your boyfriend. You don't need him if he makes you feel this way." Ladybug negotiated. "Just . . . stop terrorizing these people."

"I will never stop!" KC shouted, rapidly shooting at Ladybug.

Ladybug dodged the blasts and ran to hide behind a corner. Ladybug peered around the corner before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed the hand, twisting it and turning around to face the person.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug said, letting go of his wrist. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry My Lady." Chat said, scratching the back of his neck.

"And what took you so long?"

"I uh . . . had something I had to do first. Something important."

"Uh huh. Something "important" . . . and what might that be-"

"There you two are!" The villain shouted, blasting them, trapping them in a cage.

"You distracted me, Chat." Ladybug said, hitting his arm.

KC walked over to the cage and leaned against the side.

"Now." She grinned. "Hand over your miraculouses and I might consider letting some of these Parisians go from their cages."

"You won't get anything from us." Ladybug glared. "And why are you trapping people in cages. You said you were mad at your boyfriend and you were going to destroy all of the Christmas presents."

"I trapped families in cages so they'll fight. All of the other cages force the families to fight, except yours. I want to ruin Christmas for everyone. No presents in stores and no happy families." She smiled.

"Oh no you won't. You will not ruin Christmas!" Chat shouted, raising his hand. "Cataclysm!"

Chat Noir touched the cage's bars and crumbled them. Ladybug and Chat Noir darted away as KC growled in frustration. Ladybug pulled Chat Noir inside of a dark store as it started to snow. They ignored the adoring fans around them and continued to talk.

"She's a lot more powerful than other akumas." Ladybug started. "Never underestimate the power of a heartbroken citizen."

"Why would ever underestimate a heartbroken citizen?"

"I don't know . . . anyway . . . " Ladybug said, looking out the window as Chat Noir followed her gaze. "I think the akuma is in her headband."

"Yeah." Chat agreed. "Her powers stream down from her headband to her hands."

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug threw her yo-yo up in the air and a coffee cake fell down into her hands. "Coffee cake." Ladybug smiled, looking up at Chat.

"I guess you read my mind Ladybug because I'm starving."

"It's not for you!" Ladybug rolled her eyes at him before staring out the window again. She looked at KC as an idea popped into her head.

"Chat Noir. I think I have an idea." Ladybug grinned. "You sneak up on her and get the headband . . . this time . . . I'll distract her."

"Lead the way My Lady."

Ladybug ran out into the street and waved her arms around as Chat snuck away to hide behind a parked car.

"Hey! Over here!" She shouted.

"You again." The villain growled. "Back for more?"

"Actually . . . do you want some coffee cake?"

"Coffee cake. Coffee cake! You want to know if I want some coffee cake?!" She yelled. "Coffee cake started all of this. Coffee cake was my present to my boyfriend and now . . . I . . . hate coffee cake!"

KC angrily threw shots at Ladybug again. Ladybug dodged them all , but one. Ladybug became trapped inside another cage. Suddenly, Chat Noir leaped through the air and hit KC with his baton. KC stumbled from the hit, but regained her balance. Chat Noir ran back over, tackling her to the ground and snatching her headband.

Chat jumped up and threw Ladybug the headband. Ladybug caught it through the bars of the cage and smashed it against the ground.

"No more evil doing for you little akuma. Time to deevilize!" She shouted, swinging her yo-yo around. "Bye bye little butterfly." She waved. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Ladybug was freed from her cage as her powers continued to restore Paris.

"Pound it." Her and Chat said in unison.

All of the Parisians were freed from their cages and the stores' toys were repaired.

"Nice job My Lady." Chat smiled.

"Thanks Chat, but I gotta go."

"Aw, already." He moaned. "I hope I get to see you again for Christmas."

"I don't."

"Hey! Why don't you want to see me?"

"I didn't mean it like that, Chat." Ladybug rolled her eyes, looking back at him. "I just hope that we don't have to fight an akuma on Christmas."

Ladybug's earrings beeped as Chat's ring also lost a paw print.

"Gotta go Chat." Ladybug reminded.

"I know." He sighed. "But Ladybug . . . Merry Christmas." He shined a bright smile at her making her smile back.

"Merry Christmas, Chat." She waved goodbye before swinging away through the air.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hello again. I hope you liked this chapter. It took me a little longer to think of ways to add Adrienette to my plot that I had thought of. It was important for me to do so. I tried to come up with a good name for the villain, but Krampus Cupid was the best I got. I learned in German class about Krampus and I thought I'd make a villain for it, but I wanted the villain to have an affect on the citizens. So like Dark Cupid and Krampus combined. More to come with this story. Keep reading.**

 **-Alice Pink**


	4. Chapter 4

It is now December 24th and tonight is Chloe Bourgeois's party at the Le Grand Paris hotel. Tonight Marinette would find out who her Secret Santa is.

Marinette was sitting up in her room on her bed, texting Alya.

Alya: I just gave Alix her present. I left it on her doorstep this morning.

Marinette: Still not going to tell me what you got her?

Alya: You'll find out at the party tonight. If you remember!

Marinette: I'll try to remember, but right now I'm trying to figure out how to give Adrien his present. I still haven't given it to him yet.

Alya: Well, what are you waiting for?! Girl, It's now or never and this is your chance to tell Adrien how you really feel.

Marinette: I'll get it to him later.

Alya: No. Give it to him now.

Marinette: Later.

Alya: Now.

Marinette: Later.

Alya: Now or never.

Marinette: Fine! I'll go now.

Alya: Yay!

Marinette: I'll text you when I get back. I have to figure out how to get this present to Adrien.

Alya: Have fun with that. Talk to you later.

Marinette set her phone down on her bed and made her way down the steps. She looked towards her desk that had the present sitting on it. Yesterday she had decided to wrap the box in silver and blue wrapping paper with a dark blue bow on top. Marinette walked over to her desk and picked it up. She stood their staring at the present in her hands until Tikki flew over and sat on top of it.

"Tikki." Marinette began. "How am I going to get this to Adrien?"

"Just set it in front of his door. He'll surely find it there."

"That might actually work." Marinette smiled. "He has a photo shoot soon, so . . . maybe he's already left."

"Then you better get going." Tikki said, floating up from the gift.

"Yeah. Let's go, Tikki." Marinette agreed. "Tikki! Spots On!"

Marinette transformed into Ladybug and went up to her balcony. She looked at the white city around her. Snow coated the entire city with a cold wind blasting through. Ladybug jumped off of the balcony and ran across the snowy rooftops.

* * *

"Plagg!" Adrien moaned. "I said no."

Adrien sat at his desk, smiling as he finished wrapping and decorating Marinette's gift. He had covered the box in red and green striped wrapping paper.

"But Adrien, I'm starrrrving." Plagg whined.

"I just gave you some Camembert." He said, placing a shiny red bow on top of the box.

"And I'm still hungry."

"You're always hungry." Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami.

"Pleaassseee." Plagg cried as he floated down on top of the gift. "Just a little piece."

"No. You've had enough."

"But Adrien . . . this is the season of giving. Where's the kindness in your heart?"

"Ugh. Fine." Adrien agreed, opening up one of his desk drawers. "But this is coming out of your Christmas present."

"What! That's not fair!" Plagg shouted, taking the cheese wedge.

"You're the one who complained for some Camembert."

"Well, why can't you give me some cheese for free as a reward."

"Because . . . it's expensive, it smells, and that's all you eat." Adrien listed. "And a reward for what? What have you done?"

"I give you superpowers, remember? And how could you forget about my awesome presence." Plagg bragged, floating up in front of his face. "That girl you're getting a present for isn't getting you anything, so why are you giving her something for free."

"Because she's my friend and it's for Secret Santas." Adrien said as he wrote something on the top of the box. "She's also so sweet to me . . . giving me free desserts every time I pass the bakery." Adrien smiled as he remembered. "I might of given her this present even if we weren't doing Secret Santas for school."

"What do you like her or something?" Plagg crossed his arms. "Because so far she's getting a present that she's been wanting since yesterday and I'm getting a slice less of the Camembert I've been dreaming of."

"Plagg . . . we're just friends and . . . I only have eyes for Ladybug."

"Then, if you two are such good friends, why haven't you given her her present yet? Chloe's Christmas party is tonight and you still have it here in your room."

"I'll give it to her when I'm done. Just give me a minute."

"What are you even doing?" Plagg asked, looking over at the gift.

"I'm writing a note on the top . . . and before you even ask . . . I'm not telling you what it says. I know that no matter what it says, you'll be disgusted by it." Adrien looked up at his kwami as he covered up the message on the box.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me and you don't want me to read it, then you better go deliver it to her."

"Fine." Adrien stood up and grabbed his kwami. "Plagg! Claws Out!" He called.

He hopped on the edge of his window and peered out at the snowy white city.

* * *

Ladybug ran across the tops of the buildings as the wind blew snowflakes in her face. She brushed the cold hair off of her cheek as she moved. She kept moving until she suddenly saw Chat Noir running ahead on a lower building. He was running in the opposite direction as her. She jumped down onto the lower buildings and hid the present behind her back.

Chat Noir saw her in front of him and stopped, quickly hiding his gift behind him as well.

"Didn't expect to see out here in this weather My Lady."

"I could say the same thing to you, Chat Noir." Ladybug grinned.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Chat asked, blowing snow out of his face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but . . . what are you doing out here anyway? I was just . . . " Ladybug stopped to think.

"Well I was . . . " Chat began.

"I have something important I need to do." They said in unison.

They stood there in awkward silence as Ladybug scooted towards the side of the building's roof. Chat Noir did the same in the opposite direction. They both had their backs toward the direction they were headed. Ladybug slipped on the slippery roof, but regained her balance with one hand, keeping the other hand behind her back to keep the present a secret.

"Woah!" Ladybug exclaimed, regaining her balance. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Chat asked, ready to help her if she fell.

"Yeah. Just some slippery iced rooftops. No need to worry."

"It is Winter." Chat smiled. "And I don't want you sliding off of this building to the streets below."

"Well, if I fall, I'll phone you to rescue me." She grinned. "Now I better get going, Chat. I have something important to do and I can't stay out too long."

"Yeah. I have to go too." He said, backing farther away. "Don't worry princess, your prince will not be gone for long." He saluted goodbye to her as he bounced off the roof.

Ladybug waved back before turning around. She looked forward and managed to see the Agreste mansion through the snow. She looked down at the present in her hand as a smile appeared on her face.

'A gift for Adrien . . . from me.' She thought. "This is my chance to make him notice me." She spoke aloud to herself. "This could change everything."

Ladybug ran ahead and swung herself onto the mansion roof. She wrapped her yo-yo around the edge and lowered herself down in front of the door. Ladybug looked through the windows to make sure no one saw her as she set the present down on the ground at the front door. She quickly looked around and knocked on the door before jumping back up to the roof.

"I hope Adrien likes it." She smiled to herself, looking down as the huge door creaked open. Natalie popped her head out and looked around for someone. She found the present lying there at her feet and grabbed it before hurrying back inside to the warmth.

Ladybug shook the snowflakes from her face as she brushed her hair out of her face.

'I should get going.' She thought to herself. 'Before someone notices me up on top of the famous Agreste mansion.'

Ladybug swung away to another building, heading back to the bakery.

* * *

Chat Noir ran across the rooftops through the snowy weather. He hadn't realized how icy the roofs really were until Ladybug had slipped. Chat stood on top of a street light outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He eyed the building, thinking of what to do.

'I can't just walk inside of the bakery as Chat Noir . . . and . . . I can't leave it outside the back door to get wet since no one would be able to answer because of how busy the bakery is.' He analyzed.

Chat Noir's eyes moved up to see Marinette's dark room.

"She's not home." He said aloud. "Perfect."

Chat Noir smiled before jumping up to Marinette's snow covered balcony. He wiped the snow off of her trapdoor and lifted the hatch. Chat Noir hopping inside her room down onto Marinette's bed. He walked down to the lower level and placed the gift on her desk. Chat looked up and spun around, scanning the room.

"Looks the same as last time." He said to himself. "Still very pink."

A smile slowly appeared on Chat Noir's face, but he couldn't understand why. His hand jolted up to cover his mouth.

'Why am I smiling? It's just Marinette's room.'

Chat quickly shook the thoughts of Marinette from his head.

'I better get going.' He thought before climbing back up to the balcony.

* * *

Ladybug continued her trip back to the bakery. Suddenly, she saw a black flash jump up on the roof next to her, running in the opposite direction. She soon realized it was Chat Noir again. Chat gave Ladybug a solute and she waved back with a smile. Ladybug continued running as Chat Noir soon disappeared from her sight. Ladybug made it to the bakery and hopped through her trapdoor.

"Spots Off, Tikki." Marinette called to her kwami as she collapsed on her bed.

"Nice job, Marinette." Tikki congratulated. "You have successfully given Adrien a gift."

"Thanks Tikki." Marinette smiled, standing up from her bed with her phone. "I should tell Alya that I finally gave Adrien his present. She's been anxiously waiting for me to deliver it."

Marinette walked down her steps, texting Alya.

"Hey, Marinette." Tikki started. "What's this?" She asked, floating over to her desk.

Marinette looked up from her phone to see a small present beside Tikki.

"I don't know, Tikki." She said, walking over. "Maybe it's a present from my Secret Santa."

"Read the note on top."

Marinette looked at the note and read it aloud. "Dear, Marinette." She started. "I am your Secret Santa. I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and tell you how much I've enjoyed getting to know you as a friend. I don't know if you know who I am yet, but I hope you like this special gift I got you. :)" A smile rose on Marinette's face as she began to open the gift. She pulled out a smaller box from the bigger one and lifted the heart shaped locket up in front of her face.

"The matching locket to my mom's but . . . how?" Marinette thought aloud, looking to her kwami. "Adrien, Alya, and Nino are the only ones that knew about the locket so . . . someone must have talked to one of them."

"Or maybe Adrien or Nino is your Secret Santa." Tikki suggested.

"Nah." Marinette responded, clipping the locket around her neck. "I doubt it."

"You never know."

"I won't know until tonight, Tikki, but . . . this locket is . . . beautiful. There's even an added Eiffel Tower, rolling pin, and sewing needle charm. Who ever got me this . . . must really know me." Marinette's smile grew as she looked down at the locket around her neck.

Tikki rolled her eyes at her chosen who was ignoring the obvious.

* * *

Chat Noir leaped through his bedroom window and detransformed back to Adrien.

"Wow, Plagg." Adrien smiled, walking over to his bed. "Seeing Ladybug twice in a day with no akuma. I must be dreaming." He sighed, falling back onto his bed.

"Why are you so crazy about Ladybug? She's just your partner."

"Plagg, you just don't understand love." Adrien sat up to face his kwami.

"Yes I do, but I only have a love for Camembert." Plagg said, floating in front of Adrien. "Speaking of Camembert . . . can I have some." Plagg whined.

"No. No more."

Adrien suddenly heard a knock at his door and shoved Plagg under his bed.

"Adrien." Natalie called. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Adrien shouted back as soon as Plagg was hidden.

Natalie stepped into Adrien's room with Marinette's present in her hands.

"Someone left this gift for you at the front door." Natalie said, handing it to Adrien. "Do you have any idea who it's from?" She asked.

"Uh . . . no, but . . . it's probably for the Secret Santa thing at school."

"Okay then." Natalie said, walking back to the door. "Remember Adrien, you have a photo shoot in an hour. Be ready in forty five minutes." She finished, closing the door as she walked out.

Plagg zoomed out from under the bed and looked at the gift.

"What is it?" Plagg asked.

"I don't know." Adrien said, opening up the side.

"Well let's find out already." Plagg announced, ripping the wrapping paper completely off.

"Plagg!" Adrien shouted.

"There." Plagg said, backing away. "Now finish opening it, but not so slow."

"You're so impatient."

"I know."

Adrien pulled the plaid scarf out of the box and held it up to look at it.

"Wow." Adrien awed.

"Another scarf."

"Shut up, Plagg." Adrien hushed, putting the scarf on around his neck. "It's a nice scarf and the person who got it for me really knows what colors look good on me."

"Great, now you have something else that looks great on you, but don't let your dad see it or he'll make you model with it."

"Yeah." Adrien grumbled, falling back onto his bed. "But . . . I wonder who got me this scarf anyway."

"Maybe when you find out at the party, you'll forget all about Ladybug."

"Not a chance." Adrien grinned, falling back onto his bed.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Sorry this chapter took a few extra days. My internet has been messed up, but I hope you still enjoyed the chapter anyway. Tell me what you think.**

 **-Alice Pink**


	5. Chapter 5

"How do I look?" Marinette asked, turning to her kwami.

Marinette stood in front of her standing mirror, spinning around, making her dress swirl. She was wearing a sparkling silver and white snowflake dress with a black jacket. She wore light pink/white tights and black shoes with her heart locket around her neck.

"Marinette, you look fine." Tikki sighed. "And I'm sure Adrien will think so too."

"I'm dressing for the season, not just Adrien." Marinette grinned. "Should I wear lipstick or . . . do something different with my hair-"

"Marinette." Tikki whined. "Don't change so much. Adrien and all your friends like you as you are. You don't need to look different for this party."

"You're right, Tikki." Marinette agreed. "I'll just be myself . . . but without my normal school uniform. I still want to dress nice."

"Well it's a Christmas Party, so dressing nice is usually expected."

"Yeah." Marinette said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "We better get going, Tikki. The party starts in five minutes."

Tikki nodded her head in agreement before zooming into the small pink purse that Marinette slung on her shoulder.

Marinette ran down the bakery's stairs and flew out the door past her parents.

* * *

"I'm almost ready to leave Plagg, so finish eating your cheese."

"Don't rush me. I'm savoring it."

Plagg nibbled at his cheese slowly to annoy Adrien as he got ready. Adrien stood in front of his bathroom mirror picking out an shirt to wear.

"Which one should I wear, Plagg?" Adrien had his arms crossed as he stood back to stare at them.

"Why does it matter?"

"I want to dress festive, so I picked out a few sweaters."

Adrien picked up a red sweater and put it on while Plagg savored his cheese.

"I still don't think it matters, but maybe you'll meet your true love tonight." Plagg teased.

"No, Plagg." Adrien said, sliding his red and green plaid scarf over his head. "I told you earlier that I'm sworn to Ladybug and nothing will change that."

"You need to move on."

"Never. No one is like Ladybug. She's one of a kind."

"What about that girl Marinette?" Plagg finished his Camembert whole.

"Plagg, Marinette's . . . just a friend."

"Okay." Plagg grinned, knowing Adrien was lying to himself. He could tell that Adrien didn't want to betray Ladybug with his slight uprising feelings for Marinette. He would continue to ignore them and Plagg couldn't stop him.

"So now that you've finished your cheese . . . " Adrien started. "Let's head to the hotel."

Plagg flew inside Adrien's sweater pocket with a sly grin on his face.

* * *

Marinette arrived at the hotel, ten minutes after the party had started. She walked inside to see the room lit up with Christmas lights and covered in shining garland. She looked around, gazing at the building until Alya ran up to her. Alya was wearing a pink and orange sweater with a purple scarf.

"Marinette." She called. "You're finally here."

"Yeah. I made it."

"Come on. Let's go do something."

"Like what?" Marinette asked as Alya dragged her away.

"Chloe's dad brought gingerbread house kits, so let's go decorate one."

"Okay, but why would mayor Bourgeois bring something fun to this party?"

"Because it's Christmas and he's in charge of this party, not Chloe. At least mayor Bourgeois can get in the holiday spirit. So it should be fun as long as Chloe doesn't ruin it."

They sat down at a white table as Alya began tearing apart the gingerbread package. Marinette started to cover the bottom plastic with icing as Alya quickly looked behind her.

"What?" Marinette furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you looking at?" Marinette asked, looking behind her, trying to find what Alya was looking for.

"Oh . . . nothing." Alya grinned suspiciously.

"Hmmm." Marinette glared at her friend.

"Hey . . . you know what . . . " Alya started. "I'm gonna go . . . find Nino and . . . see what he's up to."

"Wait?! But what about the gingerbread house?" She called as her friend left.

"Don't worry, Marinette!" Alya shouted back. "It will get finished."

"But how . . . " Marinette gave up as Alya was out of sight.

* * *

"Adrien." Alya called, running up to Adrien.

"What is it, Alya?"

"Um . . . " Alya tried to come up with an excuse. "Marinette uh . . . needs a little help making a gingerbread house."

"Okay, but . . . why does she need help?" Adrien questioned. "She's a baker, so she's probably way better than me."

Adrien felt nervous again thinking about Marinette. He wanted to go see her, but he didn't know what to do.

"She's uh . . . better when she's with someone. I had promised to help her, but I have to go see Nino."

"But-"

"Marinette's over there." Alya interrupted. "Don't keep her waiting."

Alya giggled as she bolted away from Adrien.

Adrien had lost the battle between him and Alya, so he looked around the room for Marinette. He spotted her from across the room and watched her as she assembled the house walls. Adrien smiled as he saw the locket that was hanging from her neck.

'Why am I staring?' Adrien questioned in his head. 'She's just a friend and I'm here to help her build an gingerbread house.'

Adrien shook his thoughts away and walked over to Marinette.

Marinette stuck gumdrops in the frosting around the house. She created a red and green pattern. She tried sticking a green gumdrop under a gingerbread window, but in fell and bounced off the table.

Adrien jolted over to catch the gumdrop before it hit the ground.

"You almost lost one." Adrien smiled up at her.

"Thanks." She smiled back, internally screaming. She could feel every emotion inside of her set aflame.

"So I heard from Alya that you need some help with this gingerbread house." Adrien stated, sitting down across from her.

'I'm gonna kill her.' Marinette scolded in her mind.

"Yeah. My uh . . . gingerbread house will probably collapse some time soon."

"I think you're underestimating your skills." Adrien said, putting icing on a roof piece. "Doesn't your parents' bakery sell gingerbread houses and have some on display?"

"Yeah, but . . . I'm not that good at making gingerbread houses."

"What? I'm sure you're great." Adrien encouraged.

"No." Marinette began. "Last time me and Alya made gingerbread houses, it ended in disaster. First, Alya commented on my decorating skills . . . constantly, causing me to get really angry."

"How angry?"

"I bit off all of the gingerbread men's heads and then I started a gingerbread war between me and Alya."

"Geez." Adrien laughed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"That's not all. Alya continued to bother me after the war. She snuck up behind me when I was decorating the houses and I ended up squirting frosting all over the bakery." Marinette grinned. "My parents won't let me and Alya bake together anymore and now I'm not trusted to bake or decorate anything gingerbread."

"That doesn't seem fair. This gingerbread house we're making isn't that bad."

"Are you kidding me?" Marinette giggled. "The roof is falling off and it looks like the walls are crying."

"That can be fixed." Adrien reached for the falling roof piece.

"No, I'll fix . . . i-it." Marinette stuttered before she came in contact with Adrien's hand.

Both their hands laid on top of the house roof not moving. At that moment they both seemed to have stopped breathing and time seemed to have stopped moving. They slowly lifted their heads up to look at each other with wide eyes. Silenced stayed as they both looked at each other, searching for something, but they didn't know what. Marinette could see the scarf she had made around his neck and couldn't help but smile to herself as the awkwardness continued.

"Attention everyone!" Ms. Bustier called from the top of the stairs. "Every come here, please."

The announcement broke the awkward stare between Marinette and Adrien as they both released their hands from the gingerbread house. All of the students gathered in front of the staircase to listen to Ms. Bustier.

"Alright, class." She started. "It is now 8:30 and all of you are here, so I think you guys should tell your Secret Santas who you are."

The entire class immediately scrambled to find their Secret Santas. They all had been so excited and couldn't wait to tell each other who gave each others' gifts. Marinette got caught in the frenzy and was pushed to the other end of the room, away from Adrien.

"Adrien." Marinette called, standing up off the ground.

"Marinette." Adrien shouted back from the center of the room. "I'm over here."

Marinette weaved her way through the crowd of classmates to reach Adrien.

"They're like a stampede." Adrien laughed as Marinette tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah . . . they're insane." Marinette breathed. "I was run over."

"We should just be happy that they are excited for the holidays."

"I guess."

"So, Marinette." Adrien began. "I am pleased tell you that I am your Secret Santa. I'm the one that got you that locket you're wearing."

A smile rose on Marinette's face as she played with the locket around her neck.

"Really . . . you're the one who got me this?" Marinette's smile continued to grow. "Thank you."

"Yeah." Adrien said, scratching the back of his head. "I uh . . . saw how much you wanted it and I thought-"

Adrien was interrupted by a surprise hug from Marinette. Adrien decided to wrap his arms around Marinette and allow her to continue hugging him.

Marinette released him from the hug with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Sorry." She apologized. "I didn't mean to . . . I uh . . . was just really . . . happy. Sorry."

"It's not a problem, Marinette." Adrien smiled. "I'm just happy that I could get you something that you'd really like."

"Thanks again though."

"You're welcome."

"Oh!" Marinette remembered. "I have something to tell you-"

Marinette stopped at the sound of a few classmates gasping. She looked around to see her classmates staring at them and talking to their friends. All eyes were on her and Adrien.

"What are they staring at?" She asked before looking up. "Oh."

Right above Marinette and Adrien's head was mistletoe. Marinette began to die internally. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she began to feel nervous.

* * *

"So, Sabrina!" Chloe yelled. "Did you find out yet?"

Chloe stood behind a corner of the hotel with Sabrina, concocting a plan.

"Uh . . . yes." She answered, afraid of her friend. "I did the math and after questioning our classmates, I found out that it has to be Marinette."

"Marinette!" Chloe screamed in disgust. "That irritable little Marinette got my Adrien for a Secret Santa. Are you sure?"

"Yes. It has to be her. I already checked with everyone else."

"Well . . . I'm not going to let that stand. I will be Adrien's Secret Santa, not Marinette."

"But Chloe, how are you going-"

"I just will!" She shouted in her friend's face. "I will do what ever it takes and nothing will stop me." Chloe stopped to think for a moment before snapping her fingers. "I got it." She grinned and evil grin. "Here's the plan."

Chloe leaned close to Sabrina and started to whisper something in her ear.

* * *

"Mistletoe." Adrien said, breaking the silence.

Marinette moved her eyes from the mistletoe to Adrien with her mouth still wide open. She saw Adrien had a smile on his face, as usual, but thought nothing of it.

"It's okay, Marinette." Adrien said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's mistletoe Adrien, but . . . you don't need . . . to. I-I mean . . . you don't have to . . . if you don't want to."

"It's fine." Adrien began to slowly pull her closer.

Marinette felt like falling, but she didn't. She couldn't even comprehend what was going on at the moment or what to do.

'Is this real?!' She screamed in her head. 'Is Adrien Agreste actually going to kiss me? How can this be happening? How did this happen?'

Marinette couldn't help but freak out inside.

"Marinette!" A voice shouted from behind her.

Marinette and Adrien jumped back quickly from each other in surprise. Marinette turned around to see Sabrina with a suspicious grin.

"Uh . . . hi Sabrina."

"Hey Marinette." Sabrina said, stepping forward and linking her arm around Marinette's. "I have something I need to show you." She quickly turned Marinette around, away from Adrien.

"Can it wait? I need to tell Adrien something-"

"No!" Sabrina interrupted. "It can't wait . . . it's . . . about Alya."

"What? What's wrong?" Marinette asked, concerned.

"Oh uh . . . it's better if I just show you. Come with me."

Sabrina led her away as Marinette turned around to look back at Adrien.

"I'll be right back!" She shouted, before he was out of sight.

Adrien let out a deep sigh as Marinette left his sight.

"So uh Sabrina . . . where's Alya?" Marinette asked as she was dragged away.

"Oh uh . . . she's right over here."

Sabrina sped up and stopped at an elevator.

"So . . . where?" Marinette furrowed her eye brows in confusion.

"She's right . . . here!" Sabrina yelled pushing Marinette into the now open elevator.

"Wait what?!" Marinette fell inside onto the elevator floor.

"Now Chloe!" Sabrina shouted into her phone as she pushed the elevator button. The elevator doors closed shut with Marinette still inside.

Chloe was standing at the other end of the hotel, flipping a switch to turn the power for elevator off.

Marinette banged her fist against the closed elevator door. "No! Wait! Let me out of here!" She screamed.

The elevator inside went black, indicating that the power was turned off. The only light was a red emergency light at the top. Marinette leaned her head against the door, realizing she was trapped inside.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I'm proud of this chapter. I hadn't planned on adding the gingerbread idea, but I was thinking of Christmas stuff that happens at parties when it came to me. I'm the worst at decorating gingerbread houses though. The roof always falls off with the sides collapsing and the sprinkles never stick. But they are still festive and fun. I tried to include as much Adrienette with it as I could.**

 **Tell me what you thought about this chapter.**

 **-Alice Pink**


	6. Chapter 6

"Help! Can anyone hear me?!" Marinette shouted as she continued to bang her fist against the shut door. "Please help!"

* * *

"Thanks again Nino." Alya smiled hugging him. "I can't wait to try out this helmet cam. Now I can get even more good footage of Ladybug and Chat Noir for the Ladyblog."

"I knew you'd like it." Nino smiled back. "As soon as I found out that I was your Secret Santa, I immediately went shopping. I was so excited."

"I love it so much and . . . I'll wear it right now." Alya grinned strapping it on top of her head. "I'll record this party so the magic is never lost. Everyone will want to remember this night."

"As long as the party goes well-"

"What's that?" Alya asked, holding a finger over Nino's lips.

"What's what?"

"That sound . . . it's . . . it's like . . . sounds like someone . . . knocking." Alya tried to think about what she could be hearing.

"So someone's knocking on a wall or something. That's not that unusual. They're probably knocking on the wall to the beat of the music."

"No. It's something else. It's like . . . a cry . . . for help. I'm going to find out where it's coming from."

Alya walked away leaving a confused Nino left alone in the middle of the room. She moved towards the end of the room, following the sound. She eventually ran as the knocking started to slow down and stopped at the elevator.

"Hello?" She said, slowly knocking on the outside of the elevator.

"Alya!" Marinette shouted in relief as she jerked her head up from the sight of the floor.

"Marinette? Is that you?" Alya asked, pushing her ear up against the door. "What are you doing in there?"

"Chloe and Sabrina trapped me in here . . . and I guarantee it was to get me away from Adrien."

"That's cold. I'm going to tear them to shreds!" Alya shouted in anger.

"But first get me out of here."

"Oh yeah . . . I'll . . . call the police or . . . I'll figure something out."

"Hurry." Marinette said as Alya took out her phone.

* * *

After turning off the power to the elevator, Chloe saw her chance to get to Adrien. She grabbed a small wrapped gift from behind the counter and strutted across the room, full of confidence.

"Adrikins!" Chloe called out as she approached him.

Adrien turned around to see Chloe grinning at him.

"Oh . . . hey Chloe." Adrien said awkwardly. "What do you . . . want?"

"Do I have to want something to come and see my sweet Adrikins?" Chloe's grin grew. "I just wanted to come over and dance with my Secret Santa."

"You're my Secret Santa?" Adrien asked, more surprised and confused than ever. "You're the one that made me this scarf?"

"Uh . . . yes . . . yes I am your Secret Santa, but that scarf was just a . . . a . . . a decoy." She quickly came up with an explanation. "Yeah. A decoy. I sent you that scarf so that you would be so much happier when I got you your real gift."

"A decoy gift?"

"Yeah. I would never get you such an ugly scarf with poor stitch work. So . . . here's your real gift."

Chloe shoved the gift in Adrien's face and he took it. He slowly open it and pulled out a golden watch that had Chloe's face engraved on the back.

"Wow uh . . . thanks Chloe." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, trying to act as if he liked it.

"I knew you'd love it!" Chloe screamed, giving Adrien a surprise hug. "Daddy spent over two hundred dollars on it."

"What?! I can't accept this Chloe."

"Why? You're the famous Adrien Agreste. You deserve the best and most expensive gift."

"But Chloe-"

"I'm not taking it back and now that we're here . . . why don't we go dance. Specifically over there." Chloe smiled, pointing to an empty space.

Adrien could see where she was pointing. She wanted to dance with him under the mistletoe.

"Y-You know what . . . " Adrien looked all around the room, trying to find an excuse to leave. "Is that a dessert table? You know . . . it looks really good. I'm gonna go . . . check it out." Adrien finished before dashing away as fast as he could to get away from Chloe.

Adrien ran to a corner where Chloe couldn't see him and spotted Alya, who was getting angry at her phone. He got up from his hiding spot and walked over to her.

"Hey, Alya. What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Alya complained. "Chloe and Sabrina trapped Marinette in the elevator and now the police won't be here for another twenty five minutes to get her out."

"What?! Why did Chloe and Sabrina lock her in there? Is she okay?" Adrien asked, concerned.

"Yeah. She's fine for now." Alya answered. "But they probably locked her in there so that Chloe could get to you."

"That's awful. They're awful. I wish I could help."

"Well it'd be a miracle if Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up to save her." Alya said, looking down at her phone. "But right now we still have twenty five minutes before the police get here." Alya looked up from her phone to see Adrien gone. "Where did he . . . never mind." She shook her head.

Adrien ran outside of the hotel and hid behind the bushes.

"Time to transform, Plagg." Adrien said as Plagg gave him a sly grin. "What?"

"You do like this Marinette girl don't you? Saving her so she that doesn't have to wait twenty five minutes to be rescued by the police and immediately acting as if she's a damsel in distress."

"What did I tell you, Plagg? Me and Marinette are just . . . okay . . . maybe a little bit."

"Was I right or was I right?"

"Enough of this for now. Plagg! Claws Out!"

Chat Noir emerged from the bushes and used his staff to reach the hotel roof.

* * *

'tap. tap. tap.'

Marinette tapped her fingers against the elevator inside like a drumbeat. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees. Marinette was beyond bored and was informed by Alya that she had a twenty five minute wait to be set free.

"It feels like I'm never getting out of here." Marinette thought aloud.

"You could always escape using your miraculous." Tikki said, zooming out of her purse.

"No. That would make people suspicious of me."

"Don't worry Marinette. It shouldn't be much longer." Tikki comforted. "You'll get out of here."

"Thanks, Tikki."

Marinette changed her tapping to a different rhythm and began to hum a song. Tikki flew over and layed down on her knee.

"I'm living on the wildside, wildside." She began to quietly sing aloud as she hummed. "So ready now it's my time, my time." She breathed as Tikki closed her eyes, listening to her chosen's singing. "Don't wanna live my life by design. Locked inside, break out. Break the rules. Light the fuse. Something new. That's right."

"You know, you have a beautiful singing voice." A voice said from above.

"What?" Marinette jumped at the sound of another voice as Tikki immediately flew back inside her purse.

Marinette looked up to meet the bright green eyes of a black cat staring down at her from the elevator roof exit.

"Ah! Chat Noir." Marinette breathed after being surprised. "Thanks . . . I guess. I never really thought of singing before."

"Well you should sing more often." He smiled, dropping down inside the elevator.

"I don't know. I'm probably not that good . . . " Marinette started. "Chat Noir . . . what are you doing here."

"I heard word outside that you were trapped inside of here, so . . . I came to rescue you."

"What do you think of me? Some damsel in distress?" Marinette smiled. "Because I don't think that you just visit every girl in Paris when they are in a little bit of trouble."

"But I don't think every girl in Paris gets locked in an elevator or . . . needs my help like two or three times a week."

"Hey! It's not my fault that I'm clumsy and prone to getting myself into these kinds of situations." She stated, taking offense. "But you don't need to rescue me this time."

"Well then how do you expect to get out of here?" Chat laughed. "Teleport out?"

"No. I'll just wait here until Chloe eventually lets me out." She said sadly. "There's no point in me leaving now."

"Why?" Chat Noir asked, confused. "You don't have to wait for Chloe to come and let you out. Wouldn't you rather be back out at the party?"

"No, and . . . " Marinette looked down at her hands. "Chloe's probably ruined everything between me and Adrien Agreste. He probably hates me now and no matter how soon I get out of here, it won't change anything."

"I seriously doubt that he hates you because . . . you're purrfect." Chat said, looking deep into her eyes. "So you should get back out there."

"I don't know, Chat." She faltered, looking to the side. "I never even got to tell Adrien that I'm his Secret Santa. Chloe probably ruined that too and everyone else already revealed who their Secret Santas were. I had made Adrien a scarf, but Chloe might of taken the credit for it or destroyed it."

Chat Noir's eyes widened at her confession. "You can still get out there and tell him."

"Maybe, but-"

"No buts. I am getting you out of here and you will enjoy your Christmas, knowing that your Secret Santa has realized it was you." Chat grinned. "Don't worry or even think about Chloe. I will not let you stay trapped in here when you could be out there celebrating."

A small smile rose on Marinette's face as she got up from the floor. "You're right, Chat Noir. I can't sit in here worrying." Marinette walked over and hopped on Chat Noir's back. "So take me away already, superhero."

"I told you that you needed to be rescued." Chat smirked. "And once I carry you out, you can have a clawsome holiday."

"No more jokes and no more flirting." Marinette commanded, rolling her eyes. "Just get me out of here so I can actually enjoy the holidays."

Chat Noir's smile spread across his face as he jumped up out of the elevator. He used his staff to escape the elevator shaft and carried Marinette all the way to the stairwell. Chat Noir dropped her off on the fifth floor, smiling.

"That's all for now from Chat Noir, so I'll see you later." Chat said, giving a two fingered salute before getting a surprise hug from Marinette.

"Thanks again, Chat Noir." Marinette mumbled into his shoulder. "And Merry Christmas." She grinned, letting go of him.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Marinette."

"Wait." Marinette began, furrowing her eyebrows. "You called me by my real name? You've only ever called me princess. How do you know my name?"

Chat Noir's eyes grew wide as he realized his mistake. "I've heard about you from . . . a red headed blogger girl named Alya at the party. It's not that hard to describe you, so I immediately knew."

"Oh . . . okay." Marinette said, stepping towards the exit door. "Well Chat Noir . . . see you next time I get trapped somewhere or nearly die."

Marinette slipped through the exit door and began sprinting down the stairs.

Chat Noir pulled out his baton, checking the time and sighed. He turned away and ran up to the roof. He jumped off of the roof, landing behind some snow covered bushes to detransform.

"Plagg. Claws In." He called.

* * *

Marinette finally reached the first floor, out of breath from running. She spotted Alya who was standing by the front door, pacing. Marinette walked over, startling her.

"Alya."

"Marinette! You're okay!" Alya shouted, hugging her. "How did you get out?" She asked, pulling back.

"Chat Noir came to rescue me."

"Oh my God!" Alya screamed. "Chat Noir came to rescue you. That's awesome. This story is so going on the Ladyblog."

"I thought you only posted stuff about Ladybug on the Ladyblog?"

"Yeah, and Ladybug's still my favorite, but . . . " Alya started. "I've been thinking about it and . . . Chat Noir deserves some praise too. I'll try to post more about him and what better way to start than an interview or him saving my best friend from being trapped in an elevator."

"Well I'm glad he's finally getting some credit."

"Yeah, but . . . Marinette!" Alya said, shaking her. "What did it feel like to be randomly rescued by a superhero? I mean . . . I've been rescued before by Ladybug, but this was Chat Noir and there was no akuma attack and I didn't contact him. What happened?"

"He cracked puns and then carried me out of the elevator. Nothing special happened."

"Aw . . . that's kind of boring for my blog, but . . . I guess I can try to get an interview and ask him for more details."

"Have fun with that." Marinette laughed at her friend. "Now I have to go find Adrien."

"That should be interesting." Alya grinned as Marinette ran away to find Adrien.

Marinette looked around the room filled with classmates, trying to find him. She stopped at a dessert table, picking up a chocolate chip cookie to eat during her search. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"There you are Marinette."

Marinette turned around to see Adrien Agreste with a huge grin.

"Oh hi Adrien." She started. "Sorry about earlier. Chloe and Sabrina kind of . . . trapped me in the elevator."

"I heard about that. They are such jerks. But don't worry about it. You're safe and here now, and that's all that matters."

"Adrien . . . there's something that I need to tell you." Marinette said, looking down at her hands. "I'm your Secret Santa."

"What?" Adrien tried to act surprised. "You're the one that made me this amazing, plaid scarf?" Adrien smiled looking at the scarf. "Thank you, Marinette."

Marinette felt her cheeks turning red as he continued to talk.

"O-Oh uh . . . y-you're welcome." She managed, trying to fight the color changing of her cheeks.

"Of course it all makes sense now." He smiled. "No one in our class is nearly as talented as you to be able to make this."

"I-I tried. I didn't really know what colors you liked-"

Adrien stopped Marinette's talking with a light kiss on the cheek.

"That's for earlier when we were under the mistletoe . . . I owe it to you . . . and the gift's fine, Marinette. The scarf's colors look great on me."

"W-Well . . . I-I'm glad you like it."

Adrien pulled out his phone to check the time again, sighing.

"I'm sorry to say this, but . . . I have to leave. My dad wants me home by nine thirty, so that he can take a few last minute Christmas photos."

"Oh." Marinette said sadly. "I'm sorry that you have to leave, but I hope you still had a nice time here tonight."

"It wouldn't have been as much fun without you Marinette. I hope we get to hang out more often like this." Adrien started backing towards the door. "I have to get going now. See you some time soon." He waved goodbye before leaving.

Marinette watched him leave the hotel before squealing in excitement.

"Alya!" Marinette screamed, running over to her friend and tackling her.

"Woah. What did Adrien say to you? And why did you have to tackle me?" Alya questioned as she got up from the floor.

"Adrien told me that today was only fun because of me, he wants to hang out with me more, he liked my gift, and he kissed me!" Marinette babbled.

"Woah, wait. Slow down, Marinette . . . wait . . . he kissed you?" Alya had finally comprehended what she had said. "Spill!"

"Well . . . it was just on the cheek, but it was because we were under the mistletoe earlier. He said he owed it to me, but . . . he wants to hang out with me a lot more!"

"Oh my God. This is the best Christmas ever!" Alya exclaimed.

"It's a Christmas miracle." Marinette smiled as she slid down the wall.

She sat there, deep in her thoughts of Adrien.

* * *

Adrien soon arrived back at his home. Vincent Aza had already set up a small Christmas tree with decorations and a blue backdrop.

"Finally you're here." The photographer said. "You're ten minutes late."

"Sorry, Vincent." Adrien apologized.

"The sweater you're wearing is perfect, but . . . lose the scarf."

"No."

"No?"

"No." Adrien said, glaring at him, taking offense. "I'm keeping the scarf. My friend made it for me and it's amazing. It would be the best part of the picture."

"Ugh." Vincent growled. "Fine! Fine. You can wear it . . . just . . . go sit over there."

Vincent was not happy with Adrien's decision, but Adrien couldn't be happier.

Adrien sat down on top of a huge present by the tree. He moved his scarf around, trying to get it looking the best. Then out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw a sparkle of gold. He looked down to see Marinette's signature on the scarf's edge stitched with gold thread.

He couldn't help but fill with happiness and smile at it. Adrien had kept his everlasting smile in all of the photos taken and couldn't stop thinking about Marinette.

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **A/N**

 **That's the end of my Christmas fanfic. I hope you all liked it. It was kind of hard for me to include feelings between Marinette and Adrien without an identity reveal. I usually love to think of ways for them to reveal their identities, but I didn't want that for this story. Tell me what you thought and if you have any suggestions for my next story. And thank you all for the amazing reviews. I always love to here all of your thoughts.**

 **Also, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update. I would have uploaded this chapter two days ago, but my internet was malfunctioning and Christmas was keeping me a little busy.**

 **-Alice Pink**


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